Kira (given name)

Kira
Pronunciation kee-ra
Gender Female
Language(s) Russian
Origin
Word/name Ancient Greece, Japan
Meaning Ruler
Other names
Related names Cyrus, Akira, Kaira, Keera, Kyra, Kiran, Keira, Ciara
Look up Kira or kira in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Kira is a female given name of ancient origin and multiple etymological derivations.

The girl's name Kira is pronounced /ˈkɪərə/ KEER. It might be a female form of the name Kiran, pronounced /ˈkɪərən/ KEER-ən. Kiran is of Hindi and Sanskrit origin, meaning "beam of light". Besides Sanskrit, there might be other etymologies from Egyptian, where the word Ki-Ra means "like Ra", or Persian.[1][2] Due to the Greek interpretation of the Persian king's name Kourosh (کوروش, Kūrosh) as Κύρος (Kýros) – which was obviously modeled after the Greek word κύριος (kýrios "lord"), the female form being κυρία (kyría) – Kyra (or Kira) can also be understood as a variant of this originally Persian name of uncertain signification.[3] Therefore it is also in use as a female form of the Greek diminutive form Cyril. Cyrus was the name of several kings of Persia, including Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon. He is famous in the Old Testament for freeing the captive Jews and allowing them to return to Israel.[4]

In Russian Kira (Ки́ра) is the feminine form of the male name Kir, meaning "mistress, ruler", but can translate to "leader of the people", "one the people look to" or "beloved".[5] Kira could also have arrived into Russian from the Persian-Greek name Kyra.

Kira is one of several Anglicized forms of the Celtic name Ciara, which in Gaelic means "dark".[6]

There is also a Japanese name, romanized as Kira, which is common in Japan, as both given name and family name. Kira kira also means "glittery, shiny" in Japanese. [7]

Finally, "Kira" is a diminutive of the old and rare male given name Avvakir.[8]

Variant forms include Kaira, Keera, Keira, Kiera, Kyra, Kyrah, Kyreena, Kyrha, Kyria, Kyrie, Kyrene, Kyrra and Kirra.[9]

People with this name

Women with this name

Pseudonyms

Men with this name

Fictional characters

See also

References

  1. Persian meaning of the name Kira
  2. http://www.babynamewizard.com/baby-name/girl/kira
  3. Greek meaning of the name Kira
  4. Kira's Name
  5. Russian Translation for Kira
  6. Gaelic meaning of the name Kira
  7. Japanese & various meanings of the name Kira
  8. Н. А. Петровский (N. A. Petrovsky). "Словарь русских личных имён" (Dictionary of Russian First Names). ООО Издательство "АСТ". Москва, 2005. ISBN 5-17-002940-3. page 31
  9. Origins and 11 variant names of Kyra
  10. Star Wars: The Old Republic, Official Website